It's easy to forget this many years down the road that before TV, before films and before her more commercial LPs, Queen Latifah was a dope MC who could bring it with the best of them when she stepped to the mic. Mark the 45 King delivers tight beats for most of the LP that also features ... (Hip Hop) read moreLP, Vinyl record album

(Includes the printed inner sleeve. Cover has some light stains along the opening.)

Queen Latifah's second album – still very much in the prime of her early hip hop career! Latifah's got some great help here – and is working with beats by the 45 King, Naughty By Nature, K Cut of Main Source, and an incorrectly credited Louie Vega – all of whom bring some sharper ... (Hip Hop) read moreLP, Vinyl record album

A garage psych classic from Question Mark & The Mysterians – the kind of once-in-a-lifetime album that still sounds pretty darn great today! The group are known, of course, for their huge hit "96 Tears" – and the rest of the album's done in a very similar mode – ... (Rock) read moreLP, Vinyl record album

A garage psych classic from Question Mark & The Mysterians – the kind of once-in-a-lifetime album that still sounds pretty darn great today! The group are known, of course, for their huge hit "96 Tears" – and the rest of the album's done in a very similar mode – ... (Rock) read moreLP, Vinyl record album

The second album from Question Mark & The Mysterians – even more obscure than the first, and harder and heavier too! There's an energy and brashness here that's undeniable – like the group have really gotten their isht together – and found a way to push past the simple ... (Rock) read moreLP, Vinyl record album

A perfect example of the jamming style of Quicksilver Messenger Service at their best – as side one features a 25 minute extrapolation of Bo Diddley's "Who Do You Love", stretched out by the group into these wicked long guitar lines and pulsating rhythms that shift nicely over time! ... (Rock) read moreLP, Vinyl record album

Smoking tenor sax from Paul Quinichette – heard here in a small group of Basie bandmates, but in a setting that also has all the players stretch out a lot more than usual! Tracks are a bit long, and in addition to Quinichette on tenor, the set also features Shad Collins on trumpet, Nat ... (Jazz) read moreLP, Vinyl record album

(Red label Swingville pressing. Cover has moderate wear, staining, tape along some seams, and some pen on the back. Vinyl plays with some crackles.)

Early material, recorded in 1961 for Saturn, and rereleased and remastered by Impulse in the 70's, as part of their limited run of Arkestra releases. The album features prime small group playing by Ra, Gilmore, Patrick, Marshall Allen, Ronnie Boykins, and Tommy Hunter, with the tracks "Search ... (Jazz) read moreLP, Vinyl record album

A cosmically intensive set by Ra – one that features some incredible stripped down tracks with other-worldly keyboard and synth work! The group features Vincent Chaney on French horn solos, plus John Gilmore, Marshall Allen, and Eloe Omoe – but the real star of this one is Ra, who's ... (Jazz) read moreLP, Vinyl record album

(This copy has a hand-pasted label, and comes in a plain black sleeve. Vinyl matrix number is 72881.)

Although this LP was originally recorded for Saturn in 1973, it was made almost immediately available to a larger audience on Impulse the next year. Ra plays space electronic keyboards, and the group goes far out on the three long tracks on the recording: "Pathways to Unknown Worlds", ... (Jazz) read moreLP, Vinyl record album

An amazing side of Sun Ra's mighty talents – the first in a series of albums that focuses on vocal material from Ra, The Arkestra, and certain key guest performers! The style of music here is every bit as great as you'd hear on classic Saturn releases by Sun Ra – avant jazz, with ... (Jazz) read moreLP, Vinyl record album

Sun Ra's first album as a leader – originally issued on the Transition label, but presented here in its better-known incarnation by Delmark Records! Even at this early point, Ra had a sound unlike any of his contemporaries – large group and modern, but not in a way that showed any ... (Jazz) read moreLP, Vinyl record album

A pretty darn interesting relic from the glory days of the Beatles' Apple Records label – an album of righteous Hare Krishna chants and songs, all produced by George Harrison! The tunes on the set have a playful, sing-song quality that's a bit different from other records of this sort – ... (Global Grooves) read moreLP, Vinyl record album

A great lost side from Savoy Jazz – not to be confused with Opus De Jazz Vol 1, the more famous album by Milt Jackson. Like that one, though, this set features a vibist in the lead – John Rae, a strong player who only recorded a few albums, most notably with Herbie Mann. The groove's ... (Jazz) read moreLP, Vinyl record album

(Heavy original maroon label pressing. Cover has some fading on the spine, and a small bit of clear tape in one corner – but this is a nice copy overall!)

It's been a long time.... The return of the 18th letter, still up to par with "New York (Ya Out There)", "The Mystery (Who Is God?)", "When I'm Flowin'", "Guess Who's Back", "The Saga Begins" and 8 more on 2 LP's. (Hip Hop) LP, Vinyl record album

A set that has Sid Ramin working with a large group, but getting a really tight sound out of them throughout – a mode that's more soundtrack-styled than any sort of jazz big band – but which still has lots of jazzy flourishes from the horns in the group! Arrangements are plenty playful ... (Now Sound) read moreLP, Vinyl record album

The Ramones really caught their classic recorded sound for the first time on Leave Home – the second of their three perfect late 70s milestones. As amazing as the debut is, its two-channel shrieking buzzsaw sound bowed nicely to the slightly more digestible but just as cathartic roar of the ... (Rock) read moreLP, Vinyl record album

(Original US pressing, including the lyric sleeve. Cover has some wear and a cutout hole.)

As great of a rock & roll album as there's ever been! It's impossible to describe this record without sounding like a blow hard, but you really can't overstate what these four goony guys from Queens accomplished. 30-odd years of the most visceral pop music concentrated into 2 minute, 3 chord ... (Rock) read moreLP, Vinyl record album

Not quite as revelatory as the first few albums, but so damn close that it hardly warrants a mention! Road To Ruin kind of lives up to the title in that it is the last truly great Ramones record – but not the last good one. They don't stray too far from the formula – heck, they add an ... (Rock) read moreLP, Vinyl record album

Alright, let's get this straight right now – the songs don't sound the same, they ARE the same and that's why we love them! If you found a way to concentrate 30 years of the best rock & roll into two and a half minutes of beautiful primal energy that still managed to qualify as ear candy ... (Rock) read moreLP, Vinyl record album

One of the greatest albums of all time – a masterpiece of moody soul, spacey vocals, and jazzy vibes – all produced by the legendary Roy Ayers! Ramp take their name from the anagram Roy Ayers Musical Productions – and in a way, the group's the summation of all the genius that Roy ... (Soul) read moreLP, Vinyl record album

(Original pressing! Cover has some ringwear and a cutout mark, and two bumped corners.)

A classic French session from one of the greatest American jazz guitarists of the 50s – the legendary Jimmy Raney, a player who mixed his hard-edge tone with a magically fluid groove! Jimmy's playing here on some great single-note lines – alongside a set of Parisian players that ... (Jazz) read moreLP, Vinyl record album

A great overview of 4 key modern guitar players of the 50s – Jimmy Raney, Dick Garcia, Joe Puma, and Chuck Wayne – all presented here in tracks that may well be exclusive to this release. (We know that Raney recorded an album or two for ABC, but haven't seen any from Wayne, Puma, or ... (Jazz) read moreLP, Vinyl record album

(Black label pressing with deep groove. Cover has some splitting on the top seam.)

The Sesame Street posse takes it to the clubs – and goes disco with this fantastic late 70s release! The music's still handled by Joe Raposo – who brought all the charm to the earlier Sesame Street records, and who manages to come up with some nice grooves that really hold up past the ... (Soundtracks) read moreLP, Vinyl record album

A 2LP set that combines the first 2 Sesame Street albums – making for a "gold" collection that's filled with classic tunes from the early years of the show! Music is still very firmly by the great Joe Raposo, in that groovily sing-song mode that makes these sorts of tracks still ... (Soundtracks) read moreLP, Vinyl record album

The first really major album from Rare Earth – issued on their own self-named subsidiary of Motown! The set's a perfect blend of the rich undercurrents of the heady Detroit scene of the late 60s – at one level a tripped-out rock record with styles that almost hint at MC5, at another ... (Soul) read moreLP, Vinyl record album

(Original pressing in a standard cover. Cover has some wear and aging.)

Rare Earth get some super-heavy help on this set from Norman Whitfield – who wrote all the tracks for the record, and produced the whole thing with a thundering intensity to match his best work with The Temptations! Given Rare Earth's more rock-styled bent, the sound's a bit different here ... (Soul) read moreLP, Vinyl record album

(Original pressing in the embossed cover, which has light wear and some small stains.)

A double-length set from The Rascals – possibly their most stretched-out exploration of ideas, at least during their initial run for Atlantic Records! The 2LP set features a fair bit of shorter, catchier tunes on the first record – many with some righteous soul overtones – but on ... (Rock) read moreLP, Vinyl record album

(In the silver cover, including the printed inner sleeve. Cover has a cutout hole & some wear.)

The under appreciated 1972 debut from the Raspberries – a wonderful album released with some fanfare at the time, and all but ignored for too many years. The Raspberries added an unpretentious, tightly crafted midwestern twist on the Brit invasion sound and LA harmony pop – coming up ... (Rock) read moreLP, Vinyl record album

Stone cold LP of killer seventies funky soul from Chicago! Rasputin Stash made some other recordings that had more of a rock feel, but this one is cold, hard, and funky, with some nice Gemigo/Curtom soul touches. There's a nice breakbeat on the cut "Devil Made Me Do It", plus great ... (Soul) read moreLP, Vinyl record album

One of Lou's classics for Philly International – a warm mix of smooth soul and adult vocals, handled with some great arrangements by Dexter Wansel and Thom Bell. There's less standout singles on this set than previous Philly records, but Lou's class and quality makes nearly every track come ... (Soul) read moreLP, Vinyl record album

Just in case you were fearing that Lou's late 70s talents were only part of the studio magic of Gamble & Huff, this set proves that Mr Rawls could really sparkle in a spontaneous live setting – working here with a totally top-shelf set of arrangements that display a really wide range of ... (Soul) read moreLP, Vinyl record album

One of Lou Rawls' last albums for Philly International, and a really nice departure from the style of Lou's earlier hits for the label. It's got a sophisticated jazzy mode that has Rawls often singing with sparer piano backings than the fuller strings of the late 70s – in a way that's sort ... (Soul) read moreLP, Vinyl record album

Not as hit-heavy as some of Lou's other albums for Philly International, but a nice batch of mellow jazzy soul tracks – with arrangements by Thom Bell, Bunny Sigler, Dexter Wansel, and others. Some of the tunes get nicely uptempo – hitting the warmer clubby modes that always worked ... (Soul) read moreLP, Vinyl record album

One of the great ones – produced by David Axelrod, with HB Barnum arrangements, and sublime vocals by Lou, who's really at his best in this sort of setting! The album features 2 hip monologues – "Righteous Woman" and "Dead End Street" – plus the famous sung ... (Soul) read moreLP, Vinyl record album

All the best elements for Lou's Capitol work are in place – arrangements by HB Barnum, production by David Axelrod, and a hip batch of pop tracks that really push Lou into a whole new dimension! Axelrod really knows how to bring up the bass in the arrangements, and create just the right ... (Soul) read moreLP, Vinyl record album

Fine acoustic blues and folk from Dave Ray on Elektra – a mix of originals and nice adaptations of songs popularized by Sleepy John Estes and others. Most songs are spun with 12-string guitar and vocals, both by Ray – with harp on a tribute to Sonny Boy Williams, and piano on the ... (Folk/Country) read moreLP, Vinyl record album

The fragile genius of Johnnie Ray is beyond compare! Johnnie had this weird wispy voice that was quite uncommon for male singers of the time (although it probably paved the way for countless falsetto acts of the past two decades) – and his strange way of putting over a song was often ... (Vocalists) read moreLP, Vinyl record album

The front image here isn't really one you'd want to put in a book of Latin Record cover art – but the record's another strong one from the time from Ricardo Ray & Bobby Cruz – a continuation of their blend of salsa rhythms and spiritual themes – quite unique for any artists of ... (Latin) read moreLP, Vinyl record album

One of the best-selling albums ever from the team of Ricardo Ray & Bobby Cruz – and a key set that marked a sharp dedication to spirituality in their music! The rhythms here are strongly in the best salsa mode the pair was forging in the 70s – heavy piano from Ricardo, and majestic ... (Latin) read moreLP, Vinyl record album

Sweet silky harmony soul from the trio of Harry Ray, Billy Brown, and Al Goodman – the group's first album under a new name – after some previous indie work as The Moments! The album's got the group really stepping up with a rich new sound – drawing on all the best elements of ... (Soul) read moreLP, Vinyl record album

An obscure mid 80s session from the former members of The Moments – recorded with a style that's a bit more electric and a bit more mellow than before – but which really lets their wonderful vocals still take center stage! The style here is almost in a smooth steppers mode, but the ... (Soul) read moreLP, Vinyl record album

Not much rock here, but a definite guitar-driven groove – that Ray Parker vamp cooked up in a long legacy of work for other artists – really sparkling here in the frontline of Raydio! The bass is pretty strong too, with that mainstream funk sound that was popping strongly from the west ... (Soul) read moreLP, Vinyl record album

Classic post-Prince commercial 80s soul! Even though Prince, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis and even Andre Cymone are nowhere in sight, this classic 80s LP could just as well have come out of Minneapolis as Flint, Michigan, and we mean that in the best possible way. "Oh Sheila" has ... (Soul) read moreLP, Vinyl record album

An amazing set from altoist Sonny Red – a player who hardly ever got to make any albums as a leader, and who really burns brightly on this Blue Note classic! Red's got a tone on alto that's as deep and sharp as most tenorists of his generation – extremely soulful, but with a really ... (Jazz) read moreLP, Vinyl record album

Ray Draper was quite an interesting fellow – for a tuba player! Despite the heaviness of his instrument, the guy made some key early recordings with Coltrane and Jackie McLean during the late 50s, recorded some disco albums during the late 70s, and managed to cut this crossover batch of rock ... (Soul) read moreLP, Vinyl record album

An exquisite bit of modernist hardbop – recorded by Freddie Redd with the same sort of sound that he brought to the classic Connection recording, also done for Blue Note! As with that session, Redd is working here with alto from a young Jackie McLean's on alto sax – really at the top ... (Jazz) read moreLP, Vinyl record album

Classic Otis for Stax – and a record that includes some of his best stuff ever! Features the sublime soul version of "Try A Little Tenderness" – possibly one of the greatest records of the 20th century – plus "Hawg For You", "Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa (Sad ... (Soul) read moreLP, Vinyl record album

(Yellow label mono Volt pressing. Cover has splitting on both seams, and some waviness on the corners.)

A very important crossover soul album – a huge hit for Otis Redding that was released after his tragic death in December 1967 – but it's also hard to say if it would have had the impact it did had Redding not passed while the LP was still in production. In a way, the record sort of set ... (Soul) read moreLP, Vinyl record album

A tighter groove from The Reddings on Back To Basics – following up their pop funk and crossover ready R&B of earlier efforts with a bit more of an 80s electro soul and synth funk aesthetic now that the decade's studio innovations were in full swing! The group's strength was strong ... (Soul) read moreLP, Vinyl record album

(Includes the lyric sleeve, a promotional packet, and group photo. Cover has a promo stamp, some wear, a bit of sticker residue, and light staining along the opening.)

The amazing first Redman LP, back on reissue! Looking back, it's amazing the number of 'hits' off this one that still hold up today – with "Time 4 Sum Akshun", "A Day of Superman Lover", "How To Roll A Blunt", "Blow Your Mind" (and rmx), "Rated ... (Hip Hop) read moreLP, Vinyl record album

(Original pressing, including the printed inner sleeve. Cover has light wear and a cutout hole.)

Seminal work from the legendary Jimmy Reed – spare and bluesy numbers that were some of the best work coming out of Chicago at the time! There's a snapping quality to the rhythms here that was a keen inspiration to generations of better-known artists – and in a way, it's amazing to go ... (Blues) read moreLP, Vinyl record album

(Maroon label pressing with deep groove. Cover has some wear, splitting on the top and bottom seams, some peeling in the top right corner, some waviness due to moisture, and some pen and marker on the back. Label has a bit of sticker residue.)